An initial patent filing that secures an early priority date for an invention while giving the applicant 12 months to file the complete specification and refine the invention.
Inventors/businesses who want to lock in a filing date quickly while the invention is still being developed or tested.
Indian Patent Office (Controller General of Patents), Patents Act 1970
Provisional specification describing the invention (Form 2); application form with inventor/applicant details (Form 1); proof of right to file (if applicant isn't the inventor); priority documents (if claiming convention priority).
12 months, within which a complete specification must be filed.
Yes, once a provisional application is filed, the "Patent Pending" status can be used.